ODEC to reapply for permits for Surry coal plant

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative announced that it will reapply for land use permits to build what would be the state's largest coal-fired power plant in Surry County.

The decision comes less than a month after a Circuit Court judge ruled the Dendron Town Council incorrectly advertised a public hearing in 2010 in which it voted in favor of a zoning change and other permits necessary to build the plant. The judge's order essentially halted the project.

The cooperative could have appealed the judge's ruling, but instead chose to take its case to the council.

The decision comes two days after the Obama administration unveiled the first-ever rules to cut mercury emissions from coal-fired plants. The move may prompt energy companies to shut down hundreds of aging coal plants instead of installing pollution-control devices.